Carmella's Hang Out

Ok. So here is what has been going on with me.

I was given a promotion and made shift supervisor three nights a week at the new mall store. They have someone else for the rest of the days, but she needed three nights a week off, so I am the one to close on Tuesdays-Thursdays. Well, at least that is the plan…but more on that later. I like it ok. It is very different. Lots to get use to. Given the new schedule,many things have had to be switched around in my life, and they are taking more getting use to than the job itself really. I do not see my Dad as much when I close, because he is gone before I get up, comes home after I go to work, and is in bed when I get home. Unless he gets out early, I will not see him for three days a week! Kade and I are also not able to watch hockey together on those nights, and that has been hard on us both. Even though we have the archived games, I end up not watching them because then I miss other games, or doing things with others, or whatnot. So I have to miss the games all together, and Kade has to watch them alone. The last thing is my back. Now, once I get my act together, start the weight loss again and get my core back in shape I am sure I will be doing better again. However this winter has not been nice to my waistline! Adding a few extra pounds on again is NOT good for my back,and the new tasks of this job have caused some problems now and then.

HOWEVER, I am ever so thankful for the job! Not only is it the added responsibility I have been wanting, but it is the ever needed extra money.
I was asked to transfer half of my week to the mall store at the beginning of January. However, the weeks since then have each been very different. The first week, I worked Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at the mall, with one shift {On Friday} at the ‘big’ store. The week after that, I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at the mall, then worked Friday and Saturday at the Walton store. Then, we had a crew member at the big store quit unexpectedly, so I was needed back for this past week. So I have worked Wednesday-Saturday at the Walton store. I will work at Walton Tuesday, then be back at the mall for the next two days before finishing out the week back at the big store. I rather like the flip flop, to tell you the truth. Yes, it can be odd or even hard, but I like both jobs so I like getting to work more at each at different times.

The added time that I have been working lately has been such an answer to prayer too. Even before I had the prayer, actually!
In my saving for China, I had not budgeted or included or counted on my tax refund at all. My hope was to save enough without it, and then have the bonus of the return stuck in there somewhere. This would afford me an extra two weeks in China, or a laptop I had hoped. As many of you know, my saving was ahead of schedule by the end of December, and by the middle of January I had nearly $2,000. With the hope of a nice tax refund in mind, I decided to go ahead and purchase a nice new laptop so that I might be able to take it with me when I go and have the storage space for all my photos.

The day after my laptop arrived in the mail, I found out that my tax return would cover one third the cost of my {on sale} laptop. As I do too often, I had the wrong reaction to the news and was sad,disappointed,and worried. Buying the laptop and not getting much money back from taxes had just set me back an entire months worth of saving and I was not longer sure I could afford to go for two weeks let alone do anything after or perhaps stay for four. After shedding a few tears, I gave it to the Lord again, as I should have in the first place, and got a better out look on it all.

I KNOW I am suppose to go this summer, the time span unknown, but the certainty is there.

As of today {all of this happened since Tuesday, btw} I am back up just over $1,500 before any of my tax return. While not back on track for four weeks, I know for sure I will save up the money for two weeks. If I can save more than my budget calls for, I will be even better off {I know, duh} so that is my goal now.

I have had an idea for a shirt design for a little bit now, and with all that went on this week I decided it was a good time to see about getting it into more than an idea. Thankfully, I have a wonderfully talented brother who was able to put together [in no time flat] an amazing design that was better than what I had in mind. [which is why I went to him in the first place. I knew that he would do more than I could think up.] Today, with the help of my Dad, the transfers were printed and then put onto a shirt I picked up Friday. I love how it turned out! As well as my verse shirt, I ironed on some gold lettering to a new shirt I found on sale yesterday. They are now my China Shirts and I can not wait to get to wear them.

The countdown will begin THIS WEEK for the NHL game Kade, Mum, and I will go see on the 20th. I am in the process of getting in contact with players and broadcasters and support staff to see about meeting some of our team and giving them cookies for a job well done in winning the game that night. {Bribery cant hurt in this case, right? How else am I going to meet a team from California?}

The countdown for the Bring Me Hope friends tour, in which I will get to meet a girl I have been keeping in touch with for the past few months, also starts up. Seeing as how I still do not know exactly when they will be here, I can not actually countdown the days in themselves….but I think they will be here within the next month and a half.

Tomorrow {guess really today, as it is now past midnight} Kade and I hope to record the National Anthem. We are going to send it in as an audition for singing it at the start of a Grand Rapids game! I am so excited about doing it and pray we do well enough to be asked to come.

I don’t think I ever mentioned it before, so I shall now. Kade has uploaded the videos from our Christmas show. I would like to say that while things did not go the way I had planned, and I am not happy with my personal performance in this case, I am VERY proud of the kids for how they did,and I think Kade did an awesome job as well. You can see our Cantata here.

Have yet to get back out for another winter snow shoot.

Monday I hope to go get my back adjusted and spend the day with our friends.
Last weekend was the All Star break…and it was so much fun. Kade and I, of course, made a big deal out of it. Lots of snacks and junk food for weekend long watch parties. {just us really…..the family}

Um. I think that’s about it for now. Over the past month I have started blog posts in my head, and then have not been able to get around to actually posting them. At times I seem busier than I would imagine, just given work and hockey stuff right now, and then when I do not seem busy, I am just tired.

Life is good. God is good.

I am going to China.

I am going to see the Ducks with my best friends!

I might MEET some of the Ducks!

I get to do another Ducks TV Michigan!

I get to audition to sing the National Anthem at a hockey game!

I get to say “This year” for China!